6 published records
Business licenses and permits in Columbia, South Carolina
Spans Richland and Lexington counties. The city's own business license, zoning, and building permits apply citywide regardless of county; only zoning-map questions turn on which county's district a parcel sits in.
What are you opening in Columbia?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Columbia
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business License | City of Columbia Business License Division, Finance Department | Annual tax on gross income earned in the city, by rate class (base rate on the first $2,000, then per additional $1,000): Class 1 (retail trade) $60.00 + $0.90; Class 2 (food services and drinking places) $65.00 + $1.00; Class 4 (NAICS sector 81 'other services,' including personal care services and automotive repair and maintenance, and sector 62 health care and social assistance, including child day care) $75.00 + $1.20; Class 5 (professional, scientific and technical services, including veterinary services) $80.00 + $1.30. A declining-rate schedule applies to gross income over $1,000,000, stepping down to 50% of the class rate above $5,000,000. A business with no fixed place of business in the city pays double the applicable rate. | annual — license year runs May 1 to April 30 | 2026-09-08 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Columbia Planning and Development Services, Development Center | By construction value: $50.00 flat for $1.00–$5,000; $50.00 for the first $5,000 plus $9.00 per additional $1,000 (or fraction) up to $100,000; $905.00 for the first $100,000 plus $4.00 per additional $1,000 up to $1,000,000; $4,505.00 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3.00 per additional $1,000 up to $5,000,000; $16,505.00 for the first $5,000,000 plus $2.00 per additional $1,000 above that. A plan review fee of 30% of the permit fee applies only once plans reach a third review submittal. Demolition is $150 flat for two stories or fewer, or $200 plus $25 per additional story for three or more (a basement counts as a story). A construction trailer permit is $50; a driveway/curb cut is $20. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-08 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Columbia?
Business License
Appendix B of Ordinance 2023-087 (final reading August 1, 2023; effective for the license year beginning May 1, 2024) assigns business license classes by NAICS sector: retail trade (44-45) is Class 1 and food services and drinking places (722) is Class 2. The schedule names sectors rather than individual trades, so a salon or other personal care business (NAICS 8121) and an auto repair shop (NAICS 8111) fall under sector 81 'Other services', Class 4; child day care (NAICS 624410) falls under sector 62 'Health care and social assistance', also Class 4; and a veterinary practice (NAICS 541940) falls under sector 54 'Professional, scientific, and technical services', Class 5. The City's Business License Ordinance page lists Ordinances 2023-087 and 2024-050 as its most recent amendments, while the recitals of Ordinance 2023-087 state that the Standardization Act requires each municipality to adopt the latest class schedule by December 31 of every odd year; confirm the current class and rate with the Business License Division.
Commercial Building Permit
This schedule is marked 'LR 06/20/14' (last revised June 2014) on the document the city's own Payments and PC Fee Schedule pages currently link to, and it is the only building-permit fee schedule the city publishes — chapter 5, article III of the codified Municipal Code ('Building Permits') is itself marked 'Reserved,' confirming fees are set administratively rather than in ordinance text. Confirm with the Development Center (803-545-3483) before relying on these figures for a large project, given the document's age.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Columbia Ordinance 2023-087 — Business Licence Ordinance amendment, Appendix A rate table and Appendix B class scheduleCity of Columbia · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Columbia Ordinance 2024-050 — amending Code chapter 11 (Licenses, Permits and Miscellaneous Business Regulations), adopted August 6, 2024City of Columbia · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Columbia — Business License Renewal, confirming the May 1–April 30 license yearCity of Columbia, Business License Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
- City of Columbia — Commercial Development Review Fees (marked 'LR 06/20/14'), the currently linked fee schedule as of September 2026City of Columbia, Planning and Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
Who issues business permits in Columbia?
Permitting in Columbia is split across 2 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Columbia issuing agencies
Other South Carolina jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.